Insecurities
by MaryandMerlin
Summary: GiftFic for Claude Amelia Song. All Viktor wants to do is find Luna and all Luna wants to do is impress him. So why do they keep misunderstanding each other? VK/LL angsty little fluff One-Shot


**Author's Note: Well this is a pairing I have never written before and I was surprised to find that it felt so out of my comfort zone! I hope, however that you still enjoy reading it :)**

 **2017 Resolutions: 1. Write one gift fic per month for a member of the HSWAW forum. - Claude Amelia Song (Jenny)**

 **Alchemy Assignment: Option 1 - Write about someone who wants to become someone they are not.**

* * *

Insecurities

You're insecure,  
Don't know what for,  
You're turning heads when you walk through the door,  
Don't need make-up, to cover up,  
Being the way that you are is enough

"Luna!" Viktor called, struggling to make his voice heard over the rush and chatter of hundreds of students. The Ravenclaw girl did not slow or turn, but rather kept battling through the flood of hungry teenagers. He opened his mouth to call for her again, but stopped, realising how futile it was: she wasn't going to hear him. Instead, Viktor braced himself; he was broad and strong from years of Quidditch training and now he put his size to good use, wading through the current.

As he moved, Viktor caught snippets of conversation, but mostly the chatter bubbled into one steady flow, the dulcet English tones mixing with the softer Bulgarian and the musical lilt of the French Beauxbaton girls. Some people tried to stop him, for autographs or simply his attention he didn't know. Viktor pushed past them all, keeping his eyes fixed on the bobbing blonde head ahead of him.

Eventually, Luna ducked down a side corridor. Viktor didn't really know where she was heading: he still hadn't gotten used to the layout of this big old castle, not that the moving staircases helped at all. Still, he simply lowered his head and barrelled forward, ignoring the minor protests from other pupils, heading for the same corridor she had entered. Finally, he broke free and came to a sudden stop, looking left and right to spot her.

He walked forward, down the corridor, and as his perspective changed he spotted her. She was surrounded by a group of four girls and from afar it looked as if they were just chatting but as he grew closer he noticed that something was wrong.

As Luna came into focus, Viktor slowed. A frown crept into the lines of his face as he took in her appearance. "Luna?" he whispered, his voice laced with confusion.

She didn't look like his Luna anymore. Her eyes were rimmed red, obviously from crying or distress, but that wasn't all. There was a layer of makeup on her face, the colour was too dark for her skin, making the contrast obvious and she had smudged some of the mascara or eyeliner. Someone had done something with her hair; they had tied it up in some sort of fancy little bun. It actually looked really pretty, revealing the pale, graceful curve of her neck, but unfortunately, it only served to highlight the line where the makeup stopped and her own skin began. Her school blouse had a top button open, her Ravenclaw tie slung low and her delicate hands gripped the hem of her slightly shorter skirt, trying desperately to keep it down.

"Look at her!" one of the girls laughed, pointing rudely. "She looks like a clown under all that makeup!" Her laughter was high pitched and sharp on the ears, utterly unattractive in every way, the others soon joined in with the offensive sound.

"Or a monkey in a dress," added another, eliciting more snorting and shrieking.

"Why on earth are you trying so hard, Loony? It's not like anyone is going to look twice at you."

"You really ought to just go join the rest of the animals in the forest."

There were tears in her beautiful eyes; he could see them glistening in the candle light as she looked up at her attackers. They shone with pain and despair as she searched for a way out and it hurt Viktor to see the sorrow on her face. He opened his mouth and drew in a breath, determined to defend her, but it was that movement that drew attention to himself and broke the ice that had settled over the situation.

Luna spotted him first. She was facing the right way, and if anything the despair on her face deepened. She gasped in a breath, a ragged sound torn from her very soul, and spun on her heel, fleeing away from the scene. Viktor took a step after her, his arm outstretched, desperate to pursue and comfort her, but his path was quickly blocked. Those same girls who had not moments ago been vipers in the grass, spreading their venom, were suddenly all sweetness and light. They giggled and preened, fawning and falling all over him. By the time Viktor had extricated himself from the manicured claws, Luna was long gone.

X

"There you are, Luna."

Luna jumped slightly, emitting a small whimper. Her lips were chapped and dry despite the wet that clung to her cheeks. She had stopped sobbing now and was instead sat in a dark corner of the castle staring at nothing, too weary to even think. She reached up and scrubbed at her cheeks, remembering too late that they were still covered in the dregs of makeup and she was only making it worse.

"Go away, Viktor," she whispered. Her voice and her spirit were broken and all she wanted to do was hide from the world.

Luna heard the rustle of clothes against stone as he slid down the wall beside her. She felt the warmth of his body as it pressed against hers and felt his soft skin brush her exposed cheek. She shied away from his touch.

"Luna," he murmured, his accent turning her name into a caress, a promise, a sound filled with affection rather than the jumble of letters that came far too close to 'loony'. Luna's heart stung as she recalled the cruel words the girls had hurled at her today. She had never really cared before, not until she met him.

"No, Viktor. Don't," she insisted, lifting her head to look at him. She watched for a reaction as she revealed her blotchy, mascara stained face to him. She didn't see any mockery in his eyes, no shock, no revulsion. Perhaps he was just skilled at his game face. "Look at me," she murmured, fighting back a fresh wave of tears. "I'm a m-monkey in a dress, a clown w-with ma-makeup on," her voice kept breaking. "What on earth do you see in me?"

Viktor sighed, his stoic face softening with affection. "Oh my dear Luna," he murmured, reaching a rough hand up to wipe away the tears that rolled down her cheeks. "I don't know who tried to change you, but the last thing you need, my sweet girl, is makeup."

"But Ginny said-"

"You aren't Ginny," he interrupted her, taking her face in both his hands. "Your hair looks lovely; you should wear it like this all the time," he smiled, tugging at a blonde lock, "but you are so naturally beautiful. This lovely face should never be covered up. That is why those girls mock you, because they need to use this, stuff, but still they cannot compete with you."

"Viktor-"

"No. No, Luna. You are perfect just the way you are," he whispered pressing his forehead against hers, "and I will not have you thinking otherwise."

* * *

 **Please Leave a Review!**

 **Much Love, MaryandMerlin x**


End file.
